A Summer Adventure
by DaddyCameHome
Summary: A mysterious challenger has summoned Pokemon Trainers from far away regions to Jupiter Town, a small tourist spot not far from Slateport City in tropical Hoenn. James and April are two of the many trainers to swarm Jupiter Town and answer the call. Will their chance meeting lead them on an adventure of a lifetime? Some roles from Pokemon Anime characters. Plenty of Ships. Enjoy :)
1. Welcome Home

The city of Slateport is the jewel of the Hoenn Region. It may not be as big or exciting as Mauville, but every tourist to the Tropical Isles begins their adventure at the bustling Slateport marina. James King was no different. He was a young man, aged 18, and he had sought adventure all his life. He was, however, somewhat different to the other young boys and girls who now stood around him, waiting to step foot onto the pier. James was born and raised in Littleroot Town, a tiny village in the heart of Hoenn, and was accustomed to the warm climate. Unlike the two girls in front of him, who he chuckled at quietly to himself as they complained of the humidity. James hated the cold. He hated it with a passion. The girls in front of him kept complaining how hot and sticky they were, which only made James chuckle more. A sharp whistle pierced the air, and the line started to shuffle forward. Before he knew it, James had stepped foot onto the long wooden pier of Slateport City. He had not been back in his home region for 5 years. After finally earning his parents permission to set out on his Pokemon adventure, James hadn't looked back. He had jumped from region to region, earning several gym badges, until he came to the Unova Region. On a visit to Undella Town, James had a chance encounter with the Pokemon League Champion, Cynthia, who offered him the chance to become her apprentice. 4 years of training later, he had decided that he was ready to make his mark on the world, and had set off on the first boat home. It was here that he now found himself, standing in front of the hulking, pearlescent white ship. He checked his Pokedex for the time; 12:04pm. He grabbed his duffel bag, slung his backpack over his shoulders once more and joined the crowd of people streaming into the city over the golden sands of Slateport Beach.

James found himself a bus station and sat down under the shelter. Several other people hovered around him, all looking to catch busses to different corners of the region. "Excuse me-" a friendly voice called out from behind him. He turned and looked over his left shoulder. The first thing James noticed was the girls hair. It was blue. She had an adorable face, with a smile to match, and as his eyes looked her up and down (from safely behind his dark wayfarer sunglasses) he couldn't help but notice her perfect legs. She wore a short, snow-white sundress.

"Can you help me? I need a bus to Littleroot Town, but I can't even find it on the map!" She grinned sheepishly. "Would you mind?" Her crystal blue eyes sparkled.

James grinned, and ran his hand through his messy, honey-brown hair. "Actually I can, I'm catching that bus too." The girl beamed at him.

"Fantastic!" She came and sat at the bench next to him. "My name is Dawn! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you Dawn." James flashed his signature smile, showing off his perfect white teeth. "My name is James."

It was only once they got onto the bus and sat down next to each other that James noticed Dawn's backpack was slightly ajar. On closer inspection, a sleeping Piplup was curled up inside amongst all of her things. Over the course of a 45 minute bus ride, James learnt a lot about Dawn. She was from the Sinnoh Region, as he had guessed from the sleeping Piplup in her bag. She was a coordinator like her mother, and a good one judging by the ribbons she showed him. She was staying with a friend in Littleroot for a few days over christmas. James smiled and listened. He was a good listener. Dawn was a confident, friendly, interesting girl, and James enjoyed her company. As they arrived at their stop and exited the bus, Dawn's Piplup stirred from her backpack. He held out his little flipper to shake James' hand, and Dawn giggled. A warm tropical breeze blew the tall grass ever so gently as the two teens walked down the old beaten path, still deep in conversation. They finally reached the top of the hill, and as he listened to Dawn talk about her adventures a familiar site greeted James King. His hometown of Littleroot was visible in a large clearing beneath them, surrounded on all sides by large, luscious forests. Paths winded in several directions through the trees. The tiny cluster of houses he had known as a child had expanded greatly. There were plenty more houses, a few shops, and the old Pokemon Lab was looking substantially bigger than he remembered. Dawn stood next to him as she too admired the view.

"This place looks a lot bigger than I remember." James told her.

Dawn looked at him with a curious smile. "How long has it been since you've seen your parents?"

He sighed. "5 years."

"Come on then. I bet they are dying to see you."

With sudden pep in her step, Dawn headed down the path towards town. James could only shrug and follow his blue-haired new friend.

As the pair strolled though the small, quaint town of Littleroot, James took in his surroundings. Some things had changed dramatically, and some things looked as if they had been frozen in time. It was not until he was nearing his house that he could figure out how much of the town had been newly developed. There were several new houses only a few hundred metres or so from his. Before long, a familiar face presented itself to him. James had caught and raised a Cinccino several years ago while in Unova, and had sent it home to help his mother and Father with things around the house. Now, the same little excited Pokemon was bouncing over to greet him. "Hey buddy!" The little normal type leapt into James' awaiting arms with a squeak. After a few seconds of embracing, Cinccino noticed Dawn smiling at him. "Hi! I'm Dawn!" Piplup waved from Dawn's shoulder as she leant over to say hello. Cinccino waved back. James' mother must have noticed that her little helper was missing, because she suddenly appeared at the front door.

"James!" She shouted, smiling happily at the return of her son.

"I'd better be off then James." Dawn turned to her new friend.

"Are you sure? Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"

Dawn giggled. "Maybe another time." She winked at him. "No doubt i'll see you plenty while i'm here!"

He smiled. "I'm sure you will. You are welcome to come and visit any time."

Dawn smiled back and him, before leaning over to hug him. James blushed, and hugged her back. The two parted, waved each other goodbye, and set off in opposite directions. James' mother was waiting at the door, smirking.

"Who was that?"

James went pink again. "A girl I met on the bus. Her name is Dawn."

He embraced his mother. "It's good to see you James, i've missed you."

"I've missed you too Mom."

"Welcome home."


	2. Training Begins

For the next 2 days, James spent time with his family. While he was very happy to see his mother and father again, he could not help but think about the reason he was truly here: the letter. On the day he left Unova to return home, a letter had been delivered to him. It was a crisp, white envelope with a black wax seal, bearing a strange crest that was not familiar to him. Inside was a single white card with neat black text, which read:

 _Dear James King,_

 _You have been recognized as a Pokemon Trainer of high calibre, and have subsequently been summoned to Jupiter Town on New Year's Eve to compete in a 3-on-3 Pokemon Tournament. The winner of this Tournament will win the honour of doing battle with me. Should the Tournament winner defeat me, a glorious prize awaits them._

 _Good luck, see you soon._

James was utterly perplexed by this mysterious challenge for the first few days, nearly dismissing it as a joke. It was not until one night when he overheard a group of Trainers discussing the same letter did it became clear that he was not the only person planning on heading to Jupiter Town. However, he was one of few to actually receive a letter: hundreds of people were headed there to watch the spectacle. Now, he held the envelope in his hands, studying the strange crest in the black wax seal. His mother and father sat on the couch opposite him, both sipping cups of tea. They were both deep in thought after listening to their son read out the letter. James' father leaned forward. He was short and stocky, with a jet black moustache to match his short, jet black hair.

"Well? Are you going to go? I think you should kid, why not!" His mother nodded in agreement.

"I just can't help but feel somewhat suspicious. Don't you think this is strange?"

"It is strange, but I don't think it is anything to be suspicious of son."

"I have to agree with your father, this is an exciting opportunity! You should take it!"

James nodded, mulling over his decision. He finally stood up. "I'm going to compete." His parents both beamed. With that, he turned and went up to his bedroom to assemble a team.

While he had a very casual attitude towards life, James was passionate about Pokemon. Cynthia had picked up on this when she asked him to be her apprentice. Now faced with the perfect stage to make a name for himself, he was completely committed to winning. And with only a month before New Year's Eve, he needed to start training ASAP. His bag was lying on the floor by his bed, exactly where he had left it when he arrived 2 days ago. Picking it up, James unzipped his pocket and rummaged around for his Pokeball case. When he found it, he lay it out on his bed and began to think. He needed a team of 3. His hand reached out for the Pokeball already in his pocket. He put it aside with a smile. The one Pokemon that never left James' side was his first starter, Sceptile. Sceptile was his strongest Pokemon. He was very sly with a laid-back personality, partnered with incredible speed, which often caught his opponents off-guard. There was never any doubt that James would use him for the tournament. A much more difficult decision was which of his Pokemon would be in the other 2 slots. James looked over his case of Pokeballs in thought. He reached out and picked up his latest addition, a young Flareon that he had raised as an Eevee from an egg. He had only recently evolved it after receiving a Firestone as a leaving gift from Cynthia. Flareon was inexperienced, but fought with power and passion. James now had to think long and hard about his last Pokemon. After some thought, he tentatively reached for the only ultra ball in his case. Tentacruel was the first Pokemon that James ever caught, and yet he felt so uneasy every time he brought him out. Tentacruel was an intimidating figure, devoid of any expression. As a kid, James had never been able to command the menacing Pokemon, hence the disconnection between the two. With encouragement from Cynthia, he had used Tentacruel in a trainer battle to great effect. While he still made James uneasy, Tentacruel was without a doubt an incredibly tough customer. The three Pokeballs James had set aside were scooped off the bed as he strode off towards the backyard to begin training.

The Hoenn sun bore down on the sleepy little town of Littleroot as James and his Pokemon began training. The sweltering heat had forced him into his swimming shorts, and every now and then Tentacruel would spray his trainer with water to keep him cool. Sceptile was training Flareon, trying to increase his speed by dashing in between the trees in the back yard, taunting the frustrated young Eeveelution to catch him. Hard at work, James did not notice his new friend approaching.

"James!"

Two very attractive young girls walked towards him. One of the girls had very distinctive blue hair.

"Hi Dawn!" he smiled and waved at her, suddenly very conscious that he wasn't wearing a shirt. He didn't mind though, as he had been secretly hoping Dawn would show herself again. Even better, she had brought a friend. The two friends quickly embraced. James apologised for being sweaty and gross, but Dawn only laughed it off, before gesturing to the girl beside her. "James, this is my friend I was telling you about on the bus. Her name is May." May stepped forward and James politely shook her hand, with the slightest smirk on his face, and introduced himself. She was very cute. Slightly taller than Dawn, May was slender and curvy in all the right places, accentuated by her red crop top and denim shorts. Very, very short denim shorts. Her long brunette hair was kissed a slight tinge of blonde by the Summer sun, a very similar colour to his own. James found it very difficult not to stare at her. She was beautiful. Managing to find some words, he addressed the two girls.

"So, what are you two up to today?"

"We're heading to Slateport for the day." Dawn beamed at him. "Do you wanna come?"

"I'd love to Dawn, but I really need to do some training for this tournament." Her face dropped somewhat. "How about I meet you there in, I dunno, 2 hours?" Her face lit up once again. "Sure! We'll see you then!" The two girls waved goodbye and wandered off through sleepy Littleroot, leaving James to smile to himself before resuming his training in the hot summer sun.


End file.
